hurt my neck and back.. should I take a break?

[dbergunder]

Yesterday while lifting I strained my neck and lower back. About an hour afterwards I started to feel dizzy and it continued mildly throughout the day (mostly when I’d turn my head.) I usually workout 2 hrs a day split between morning and afternoon so I refrained from lifting in the afternoon. I’m not having the dizzy problem but my neck and back still hurt mildly… it’s more like an ache starting from my neck and shoulders and it shoots down the middle of my back (more so when I turn my head.) Should I do cardio today or give my body a couple of days rest. I don’t workout on the weekends so I feel bad taking so many days off after getting a two day break. Also will a couple of more days affect my muscle tone?

Any advice is welcome…
Thanks

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Daryl! You're probably better off either resting or at least doing only a stationary cardio activity that doesn't aggravate your back/neck muscles.

Take a nice warm bath for a few days. Usually a couple of days of stiffness follow a strain like this. Take it easy and after one to two days, do light stretching for the area to help loosen the stiffness. As long as you don't rush back and aggravate the area further, you should be back in action by the end of the week. If not, its definitely time to have it looked at by your doc.

Good Luck and don't work too hard!

 

[dbergunder]

Thanks for the reply... I'm really happy to be a part of your forums!
You are great at what you do!

Thanks again...
Daryl